


Basic Necessity

by Schattengestalt



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Hot Chocolate, Menstruation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22199248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schattengestalt/pseuds/Schattengestalt
Summary: Rose is in need of the Doctor's help. The Doctor is happy to provide it.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 18
Kudos: 106





	Basic Necessity

**Author's Note:**

> I only recently started watching Doctor Who but I simply had to write a story for Tenth/Rose. Let me know how you like it. :)

### Basic Necessity

"How am I supposed to use this?"

Rose stared at the small cylindrical something the TARDIS had provided her with and turned it over in her hands. On first sight it looked exactly like a small, glass tube... and on second glance it didn't look much different either at least not to Rose. If she had found that... thing lying around in the console room she would have accepted its existence easily but seeing as she had asked the TARDIS for sanitary products it was hard to accept that this was what the ship had offered her.

Rose closed her eyes and pictured a tampon in her mind to let the TARDIS know what she needed but she only got an apologetically hum from her in reply. Obviously basic sanitary products weren't basic equipment on the ship. The former female companions of the Doctor had probably been clever enough to bring their own stuff. Rose sighed quietly as she turned the cylindrical tube between her hands again but looked up hopefully when the TARDIS hummed in understanding. The wall in her room opened only to offer Rose an... applicator. 

"Really now?" Rose took the applicator carefully even as she stared at it in dismay. "That thing is supposed to..." She glanced down at the cylindrical tube and then down her body even as a shudder ran down her back. No way, she wasn't putting something like that inside her. Just no!

This decision though left her with only one other option and with a heavy sigh she left her room and went in search of the Doctor. Thankfully it was easy to locate him this time. Rose only needed to follow the quiet cursing that sounded from the console room. She watched him tinkering with the controls of the TARDIS for a bit and chuckled quietly when the ship made her displeasure known and zapped him.

"Ouch," the Doctor rubbed his hand, "What's wrong with you?"

"Doctor," Rose interrupted him before he could get into a discussion with the TARDIS.

"What is it, Rose?"

"I think I... uh, need your help."

If the Doctor had divided his attention between Rose and the TARDIS before, this got her his full attention. His eyes glanced up and down her body as if to check her for injuries as the Doctor came up to her.

"What is... Oh, where did you get this from?"

"What?" Rose followed the eyes of the Doctor which were focused on the cylindrical device. 

"Oh that." Rose bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from blushing as she met the Doctor's curious gaze. "See that's why I need your help. The TARDIS... gave this to me and..."

"Now why would she do that?" The Doctor glanced curiously at the walls of his ship before he took the device from Rose. From the way he weighted it in his hands and turned it first one way and then the other, Rose got the suspicion that the Doctor didn't even know what the device was for which would be just her luck. She really didn't fancy explaining periods and monthly cycles to the Doctor. Somehow though she couldn't imagine that he wasn't aware of this important part about the anatomy of the female human body. Even if Time Lords - or were it Time Ladies in this case - were above such biological nuisances the Doctor had been around humans long enough to have picked up this tiny bit of information. Just when Rose was about to ignore her embarrassment and simply ask him about it, the Doctor's curious voice beat her to it.

"It's an absorb device created in the 53th century by Mirabella Gideon of the 37th human colony - you humans really get around the universe - to minimize the discomfort of menstruations. But why would the TARDIS... Oh."

The Doctor's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and understanding as he looked from Rose to the device and back to Rose. Heat rose in her cheeks even as she marvelled at the light blush in the Doctor's face before he obviously managed to get his body's reactions back under control.

"Yeah well," Rose wrung her hands nervously, "I assume it's supposed to be... Uh inserted," her face felt hot enough to fry eggs on it by now, "But I don't understand how it works."

"The Absorber," the Doctor scrunched up his nose, "Not a very creative name but anyway it's made of a special material that has a high affinity to menstrual blood and absorbs it in about a couple of hours and then dissolves completely inside the body."

"So," Rose stared at the device so that she had an excuse for not meeting the Doctor's eyes, "It's inserted once a day when you are on your period and..."

"Oh no, no, no." The Doctor shook his head vehemently, "It only needs to be used once at the beginning of the cycle. It absorbs all the menstrual blood. Minimal discomfort as I said."

Rose's eyes widened at that. Only having your period for two hours every month sounded too good to be true but she still couldn't help but be sceptical. "If it was created in the 53th century is it even save to use for someone from the 21th century? I mean, you said it dissolves inside the body."

The Doctor furrowed his brow as he considered Rose's question. "I am not sure. Did you experience any side effects the last time you used it?"

"No, I... what?" Rose shook her head in confusion. "I haven't used it before."

The Doctor cocked his head to the side as he regarded her carefully. "But you have been travelling with me for a little over a year already."

"Yes well," Rose rubbed her neck with her hand. "I didn't need something like it before."

The curious frown of the Doctor turned worried as his eyes flickered over her once more. "Missing so many menstruations in a row can't be healthy. I am not an expert but I am sure we can find one or the TARDIS could...."

"No, Doctor!" Rose interrupted him before he could get them to New Earth or some other place to get her checked out. "Everything is fine. I took the contraceptive pill without a break in-between." Rose could feel her face heating up once again after her cheeks had cooled down for a bit before. These weren't the topics she was usually discussing with the Doctor. "I didn't want anything to get in the way of our travels but when we visited my Mum the last time she... suggested that this couldn't be healthy and well..."

Actually, Jackie had been furious with Rose when she had learned that her daughter had taken the pill without a break. Rose's ears still rang from her Mum's dressing down as she had listed all the side-effects of such a behaviour. Rose had only interrupted her when Jackie had started to get angry at the Doctor for putting his travelling plans above her daughter's health. It wouldn't have only been embarrassing to have her Mum scream at the Doctor for this but also unfair seeing as he hadn't even known about it.

"So that was what the screaming match was about," the Doctor muttered to himself before he focused a stern gaze on Rose. "Jackie was right it can't be healthy to suppress your body's natural functions for so long. We can easily stay in the Time Vortex or on a nice, peaceful planet once a month for a few days."

"That would be... Wait, you just said that this absorb thing," Rose gestured to the cylindrical device, "Only needs a couple of hours to get the job done."

"Yup and you don't feel comfortable using it so that's the end of it." The Doctor gave the device a suspicious look. "Can't say I blame you. I wouldn't want to push that thing inside me. Well, admittedly I don't have the same equipment as you do but even if I did and maybe I will someday seeing as a lot of Time Lords changed gender at least once in their lives when regenerating but even then I wouldn't want to use that Absorber. Not that I would need it anyway. Time Lords usually don't experience monthly cycles like humans do, haven't done for about a millennia by now I think. Side-effect of the looming process probably seeing as it wasn't necessary for our bodies anymore to..."

"Doctor!" Rose interrupted him as she rubbed her hand over her forehead. She had barely understood half of what the Doctor had just told her but while she would have still listened longer to his rambling she had more urgent business to take care of right now. In fact she was certain that the panties she was currently wearing were goners. "We need to stop on earth - my earth - so that I can buy somethingAbsorber she was only glad that he accepted it without questioning.

"Right," the Doctor nodded even as his cheeks tinged a lovely shade of pink, "London of the 21th century it is."

Rose only had time to hold onto the console as the Doctor sent them flying towards their destination. Usually, Rose's main goal was to keep upright but this time she was more worried about leakage as the TARDIS surged through time and space. That was why she found herself sitting on her butt when the TARDIS landed with on last thud. With a sigh she got back on her feet while the Doctor peered outside. "London, 2010 on earth and we are right around the corner of a shopping centre."

"Great," Rose rubbed her backside with a grimace, "I will just get changed before I go the shops." Hopefully she would manage her trip without embarrassing herself in public. Maybe if she put a small towel in her panties it would be enough to keep her from bleeding through her jeans.

"No, you stay here... I mean," the Doctor rubbed his neck bashfully when Rose sent him a glare at ordering her around like this, "I assume it would be wiser if I pop down to the shops to get you what you need and afterwards we could go for a stroll or dinner or...not." 

The insecurity in the Doctor's voice brought Rose out of her haze as she gaped at him in wonder. No one besides her mother had ever bought sanitary products for her. She couldn't imagine ever asking Mickey to bring her a box of tampons. He would probably have died of embarrassment if she had so much as hinted at it.

"If... if you are sure."

"Of course I am sure. It's not like it's a big deal to go to the shops just... ahem, write down what exactly you need me to buy."

A fond smile turned Rose's lips upwards as she met the Doctor's gentle eyes before she excused herself to her room to write the Doctor a list of all the necessities she would need in the next few days.

OOO

Tampons - small and medium sized, the Doctor frowned down at the first article on Rose's list. Of course he knew what tampons were but he hadn't been aware that they came in different sizes although it made sense when he thought about it. After all women's bodies were all different and the menstrual flow wasn't equally strong the whole time. Yes, it definitely made sense to produce tampons in different sizes. He only needed to figure out which size was which. But before he could do that he had to find the right aisle. The Doctor peered over the rim of his glasses at the shelves that surrounded him. It looked like he was in the aisle that mostly held cleaning products. He doubted that he would get lucky here but since the sanitary products also hadn't been in the same aisle as other products marked for women the Doctor wasn't so sure anymore if any kind of logic could even be applied to the setup of the store.

"Can I help?"

The Doctor swung around to face a middle-aged woman clad in the store's uniform who looked a little impatiently at him.

"Oh yes. Of course, I can ask you for help right. That's brilliant," the Doctor beamed at the woman who only raised a bored eyebrow at him.

"And what are you looking for?"

"Ah right, I need," the Doctor glanced back down at the list, "Tampons, pads - the ones with an absorbent core - and panty liners." The Doctor smiled winningly at the woman and thanked his good luck for having such a pretty face when the expression of the clerk softened.

"This way."

The Doctor happily fell in step behind the woman and squealed in delight when they rounded the corner and he looked directly at an assortment of various sanitary products. "Brilliant!"  
He let his eyes wander over the assortment of products before he frowned and turned to the clerk just in time to stop her from leaving him to his own devices. "How many should I buy? And do women typically prefer pads with wings or without them? What's the difference between the normal ones and the ones for the night... Ah I see the ones for the night are longer, interesting. And how do I tell the size of the tampons?"

A curious expression crossed the face of the clerk before she shook her head with a little, fond sigh. "God, I wish I had a man like you. Mine wouldn't be caught dead buying tampons. Your girlfriend is one lucky woman."

The Doctor was torn between asking why it was so special for him to buy much needed sanitary products for someone and clarifying that Rose wasn't his girlfriend. Not that he minded the notion but he was certain that Rose wouldn't like for someone to think that they were together like this. She had appeared shocked if not appalled when her mother had implied that they were together.

The clerk took his silence as her cue to hand him two boxes of tampons. "The ones with the yellow colour are medium sized and the ones with the pink one are the small ones. What kind of panties does your girlfriend wear?"

"Uh I don't know." The Doctor barely kept himself from blushing furiously. It certainly wasn't the best of ideas to think of Rose's underwear while being out in public. He usually had a great control over his body's reactions but he had found that it was always harder to keep his demeanour when it came to Rose.

"Typical," the clerk muttered good naturally next to him, "Just get her one package of each then. She certainly has some friends to give the ones she doesn't like to."

"Brilliant!" The Doctor clapped his hands together in amazement. "You humans are always so practical." He only noticed what he had said when the clerk gave him a strange look and the Doctor busied himself with putting as many boxes of tampons, pads and panty liners into his trolley as he could fit.

"I doubt that she will need so many and the stores won't be closed next month."

The Doctor blinked down at the small tower of sanitary products in his trolley and then back at the clerk who seemed on the verge of breaking out in laughter. He smiled sheepishly at her.  
"We are going to travel for a while."

She shrugged at his explanation and turned around to walk away when the Doctor thought of something else. "What else can I get her?"

The clerk raised an eyebrow at him and the Doctor gnawed at his lower lip. "I mean do you think she would like something special to eat? Bananas maybe?"

"If she likes bananas," the clerk replied with a strange note in her voice, "But I would usually recommend chocolates or biscuits or whatever sweets she likes."

"Chocolates," the Doctor nodded enthusiastically, "Brilliant! I will just get her one of each kind."

The clerk wore that strange look again after the Doctor had shared his brilliant plan with her but he didn't stop to analyze it farther. Humans were prone to react in unexpected ways he had learned in the time he had travelled the universe and he had more important things to do than wonder about them. Namely buying all the chocolates that he could possible carry. He couldn't wait to see Rose's reaction.

OOO

The Doctor was taking his time.

Rose sighed quietly as she wriggled a little on the couch. The towel she had shoved into her panties was doing its job but it was still uncomfortable to have it pressed up against her private parts. She just hoped that the Doctor would come back soon and that he hadn't run into some kind of trouble. 

The TARDIS hummed soothingly at her and Rose thanked the ship with a smile when she finally heard the door open. She was up from the couch and in the console room faster than she had thought possible and just in time to watch the Doctor kick the door shut with his foot.

"Doctor, what...?" Rose stared at the four big bags he was carrying. 

"I got you a few packs of every kind of pads that were available as well as numerous boxes of tampons. I also bought some chocolates. Well," the Doctor cocked his head to the side and gave her a sheepish smile as he stumbled slowly towards her, "When I say a few I mean that I got a few of every kind except the ones with ginger." He scrunched up his nose adorably. "Who mixes ginger with chocolates? It's barbaric. Anyway I wasn't sure if you wanted some other sweets so I also got you some marshmallows and a few biscuits and... Yikes!"

Rose just had to kiss him and so she did. It was an awkward kiss with the bags the Doctor was still carrying between them and the way he froze when her lips met his. 

"Sorry," Rose took a hasty step back and clenched the hem of her shirt between her hands, "I don't know what came over me."

"Maybe it was the mention of the chocolates." The Doctor furrowed his brow. "Or were it the marshmallows? Should I get more of them?"

"Doctor." Rose rolled her eyes at the impossible man even as some of the tension melted away from her. As long as he was rambling on like this it was at least safe to say that he wasn't angry at her.

"Shush! I am trying to figure out what I have to do to get you to kiss me again." The Doctor's eyes widened in shock after the words had left his mouth and Rose was certain that he would have bolted from the room if it hadn't been for the bags that held him back. 

"Nevermind! Just forget I ever said that!"

"You want me to kiss you again?" Rose took a careful step towards him and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile when the Doctor looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights. "Because I would do it. No need to bribe me with sweets." Her heart pounded wildly in her chest that she feared it would burst out of its ribcage after the bold words had left her mouth. 

"You... would?" The Doctor looked at her in wonderment as if her affection for him hadn't been plain as day right from the start. Maybe it hadn't been for him. The Doctor seemed to overlook the most obvious signs sometimes. His obvious hesitance busted Rose's courage as she took another step towards him until only a few inches separated them.

"In a heartbeat."

The Doctor closed his eyes as if in prayer and when he opened them again the longing that was mirrored in their depths took Rose's breath away. "Please."

It was all the encouragement Rose needed as she leaned in and found the Doctor's lips again. A few thuds signalled the hard landing of the bags but Rose didn't waste another thought on them when the Doctor's arms finally came up around her and drew her close against him. His lips opened under her tender ministrations and a happy sigh flowed into her mouth as Rose deepened the kiss. The beat of his two hearts drummed against her chest and she was sure that he could feel her own heart racing as well. Rose had fantasized about this for so long without believing that it would ever happen that she was almost afraid to wake up from yet another dream.

Her hands found their way into his hair and he whimpered quietly into the kiss as she ran her fingers through the soft strands. If it hadn't been for the way he was ever pressing closer against her and running his hands more eagerly all over her back she would have feared that she had hurt him. Obviously though the Doctor liked to have his hair played with and Rose was more than happy to oblige. Only when the kiss grew more heated and Rose felt like her legs wouldn't hold her much longer did she withdrew from the Doctor's lips. It was just then that a warm trickle between her legs reminded her what had got them in this situation in the first place and she groaned in disappointment.

"What?" The Doctor's eyes, dark with lust and longing looked questioningly at her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Rose leaned against him until she could nuzzle his neck with her nose and she smiled as she felt his arms tightening around her, "It's just not the best timing with me being on my period and all."

"I don't understand. What's that got to do with kissing? Can't we kiss while you are menstruating?"

The Doctor sounded so wonderfully bewildered that Rose couldn't stop herself from chuckling. "Of course we can kiss, we just did after all but," Rose gnawed at her lower lip, "We won't be able to go farther."

"Farther?"

If it weren't for the Doctor's obvious confusion Rose would believe that he was pulling her leg. As it was she only hid her face in the side of his neck when her cheeks heated up before she had even answered. "I mean sex. We won't be able to have sex while I am on my period."

Silence greeted her words and it took all of Rose's willpower to stay quiet in the Doctor's arms even as thousands fears were racing through her head. Maybe she had misunderstood the situation and the Doctor didn't want a sexual relationship with her. Either because he didn't see her that way or rather because he wasn't interested in sex at all. It could be a Time Lord thing or maybe it was just a personal Doctor thing. Rose wouldn't care either way. She would give up sex before she gave up her relationship with the Doctor. She only hoped that he would tell her if he wasn't interested in sex after she had just so eloquently put her foot into her mouth.

"What's your period got to do with sex?"

Rose blinked against the shirt of the Doctor. Either she had just misunderstood the question or the Doctor didn't know how sex worked. Her silence must have given away her thoughts as the Doctor rushed to clear up his question.

"I mean obviously I know the logistics and that a few of your erotic centres are located in direct proximity to your vagina and obviously I am aware that your menstrual blood flows out from your cervix through your vagina but why... Oh!" 

Rose pressed her hot face desperately closer against the Doctor's chest but it was in vain as he gentle coaxed her to look at him with a cool hand on her cheek.

"Would it bother you to engage in sexual relations with me while you are menstruating?"

Gentle affection and understanding were written all over the Doctor's face and took away some of Rose's embarrassment. She was just about to nod when she took a second to question her own reaction. She had never had sex while on her period but never because of how she felt about it. Jimmy had made it clear to her from the start that he wouldn't touch her while she was bleeding. Considering that all Jimmy had ever wanted from her had been sex, the time of her menstruation had always been the few days each month she could be sure not to see him at all. And while Mickey had still liked to spend time with her he hadn't ever initiated anything sexual when she had told him that she was on her period. Actually Rose was certain that sometimes she had even craved sex while on her period only to be left feeling like she was a pervert for it. Not that she had told anyone about said cravings but everyone around her had certainly made it seem like it was wrong to have sex while on her period. Therefore...

"I don't know," Rose answered the Doctor honestly, "I have never tried it before but," she worried her lower lip with her teeth, "I would rather prefer not to have our first time together while I am still bleeding." It probably wouldn't bother her in another month if their relationship progressed the way she hoped it would but right now it would make her uncomfortable. First times were always slightly awkward and Rose didn't want to worry about dirtying the sheets when she would already be nervous.

To her immense relief the Doctor only smiled at that and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Of course, that's perfectly understandable." Something flickered through the Doctor's eyes as he glanced sideway before he found Rose's gaze again. "Why don't you look through the sanitary products I bought while I make us a hot chocolate and we will meet again on the couch in the TV room in half an hour."

Rose frowned slightly at the request but stepped obediently out of the Doctor's embrace and looked around them for the shopping bags. They were nowhere in sight and Rose assumed that the TARDIS had put them away already. Hopefully Rose would find them in her bathroom now.

"See you in a bit." Rose pressed another kiss to the Doctor's lips before she took off in the direction of her room. If she hurried she might manage to take a shower as well.

OOO

The Doctor put two steaming mugs of hot chocolate on the table in front of the couch and added a bowl with biscuits. He cocked his head to the side to look critically at his work before he scrunched up his nose and pushed the bowl with biscuits a little farther towards the middle of the table. But no, that wouldn't do either. Rose wouldn't be able to reach the biscuits from the couch like this. Only he could push the couch closer to the table but then they would sit too close to the TV. The Doctor tapped his index finger against his lips as he tried to come up with a satisfactory solution to this problem when Rose's entrance ended his musings on the matter.

"Sorry, I took a little longer than expected." Rose smiled sheepishly up at him and the Doctor couldn't help but notice just how lovely she looked in her favorite jim-jams and the white wool hoodie with the teddy bear ears over it. Whenever he saw her like that the Doctor simply wanted to cuddle her close and kiss her. It only took his mind a second to remember that he was actually allowed to do just that as of about half an hour ago.

She melted into his arms and the Doctor took his time kissing her until she leaned more heavily against him and he reluctantly let go of her lips as he led her towards the couch.  
Warmth filled both of his hearts when she cuddle into his side right away and all thoughts of arranging the biscuits differently were forgot.

The Doctor handed Rose her mug before helping himself to his own and some minutes passed with them only sipping their hot chocolate and enjoying each other's closeness. And he would have loved to simply spend the rest of the evening like this but there was something he needed to discuss with Rose. No matter that it wasn't important in the grand scheme of things and she probably wouldn't even care but the Doctor felt like she had a right to know. Carefully he sat his mug back down on the table and something in his posture must have given away his nervousness as warm eyes looked questioningly up at him.

"Doctor?"

He took heart in the warmth and affection he saw clearly in her eyes as he forced his mouth to cooperate and form the words he needed to get out. "It's been a while for me."

Rose's tongue poked out between her lips like it always did when she was deep in thought and the Doctor could barely keep himself from leaning down and kissing her. Thankfully her next words reminded him of his original plan before the temptation could become too much. "What's been?"

"The... what we talked about earlier." The Doctor gestured vaguely with his free hand and only barely missed slapping the mug from the table. "You know." He looked pleadingly at Rose who seemed even more confused now and the Doctor sighed inwardly before he gave himself a mental shake. By all that was mighty, he was a damn Time Lord, the last of his kind and with over 900 years of experience of life he shouldn't behave all flustered like a teenage human. If his memory served him well he hadn't been this... shy when he had still been in his first body. Then again the Doctor had also never discussed sex with a human woman he loved before he regenerated the first time. Actually he wasn't sure that he could claim that he had talked much about sex at all in all his life. The Academy and how they frowned upon physical pleasure was partly to blame for the way he had viewed sex as an act beneath a Time Lord for a long time and even after he had changed his mind the Doctor couldn't claim to be an expert on it. 

But he was getting off topic. The Doctor noticed it in the way Rose's frown was intensifying and how her lips were curling up at only one side of her mouth. A sure sign that she was equally parts getting anxious and impatient.

"I haven't had sex in a long time. That's to say," the Doctor continued before he could lose his nerve, "This body has never had sex before and the regeneration before this one... Well, I am not sure this one time actually counted." The Doctor pursed his lips as he recalled a time before he had ever met Rose and when he had been foolish enough to believe that he could let go for an evening. "Well, they tried to kill me before I even got my leather jacket off. It's funny I am not sure why I ever thought it a good idea to wear a leather jacket. It certainly looked good on my last regeneration but..."

"Doctor."

Like usual Rose's voice pulled him back to the present before he could go on rambling the whole night away. He pressed a gentle kiss to her hair.

"I guess it's safe to say that I didn't have sex for two regenerations, this one included."

"Okay," Rose started slowly like was her habit when she was trying to grasp a complicated concept although the Doctor didn't think that this conversation fell into this category. "So how long is this in Earth years?"

Oh, that was what she was confused about. The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but then closed it again when he couldn't come up with a number right away. His last regeneration had travelled a lot through time and space and until he had met Rose he had been all alone. There was nothing he could fix the number of years he had lived as his ninth regeneration on.  
The TARDIS brushed against his mind and the Doctor sent a telepathic thanks to his ship at providing him with a number. It was higher than he had assumed and some part of him didn't want to share this information with Rose.

"A few decades," the Doctor mumbled finally which earned him a shocked look from Rose before her expression softened again in a heartbeat.

"People all around the universe must have been blind then," she murmured as she rubbed her cheek against his shirt clad chest.

"It's much simpler I wasn't interested in them."

A complicated look crossed Rose's face and before the Doctor could ask what he had done wrong Rose sat up to kneel on the couch and leaned forward to frame his face with her hands.

"Do you know what you are saying, Doctor?"

The Doctor could only look transfixed into her eyes that were swimming with such deep affection that he felt like drowning in them.

"In all of time and space," Rose stroked a gentle finger along the lines of his face, "You didn't find anyone you were interested in but now you want me."

The Doctor blinked. "Yes, of course." It was the simple truth and yet it made Rose's eyes water.

"Rose?" The Doctor looked helplessly up at her as he searched her eyes for a clue as to why they were gleaming with unshed tears. Was it so terrible that he hadn't had sex in so long that Rose was crying about it? No, that didn't sound right but why...

"Happy tears, Doctor." Rose's lips wobbled as she graced him with a watery smile and the Doctor shook her head fondly at her even as his whole body relaxed at the admission.

"You humans, crying because you are happy." He caught a single tear with his thumb as it escaped down Rose's cheek. "As if I could ever want anyone else when the universe was so kind as to create you."

"Doctor stop," Rose sniffed even as her whole being radiated happiness, "Or I will never stop crying."

"We can't have that," the Doctor agreed as he leaned upwards to press a tender kiss to Rose's forehead before closing his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him. She went willingly and was soon snuggled up on top of him with her head resting on his chest.

For some time they both simply enjoyed their newfound closeness while the Doctor listened to Rose's heartbeat and carded his fingers through her hair. He could have stayed like this forever - or at least till the next distress signal came in - but Rose obviously had different plans as she propped her chin up on her right hand to look up at him.

"You know that it doesn't matter to me how long it has been for you, right?"

This time the Doctor only needed a second to catch on to the conversation and as to what Rose was talking about. He met her earnest gaze and nodded. Now that she was stating it like an universal known fact it was obvious to him and the Doctor wondered why he had been nervous about telling her at all. 

"Besides," Rose sucked her lower lip into her mouth before she released a deep breath and a hint of nervousness entered her expression, "It's not about sex for me with you. I mean," Rose's eyes flickered down to focus on his chest, "I like sex but it's not the most important aspect of our relationship - not even close to it - and I don't want it to be. Our travels together and when we laugh about silly stuff and... Yeah, just being with you that's really..."

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor coaxed her to look back up at him, "I love you, too."

A single gasp fell from Rose's lips and more tears ran down her cheeks as she met the Doctor's gaze in happy astonishment.

"You must have known that," the Doctor whispered pleadingly as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. To imagine that Rose hadn't known until today and that he therefore could have lost her without her ever learning of the depths of his feelings was a horrible idea.

"I did," Rose murmured through tears, "In a way I did. I just never thought to hear you say it."

"Oh Rose."

Their kiss tasted of salty tears and desperation as the Doctor pulled Rose close to pour both his hearts out to her with such a simple and yet so meaningful action.

"I love you, Doctor."

They were still lying on the couch, facing each other and the love mirrored in Rose's eyes almost took the Doctor's breath away. If he had known that all it would take to have Rose look openly at him like this than he would have bought a whole aisle worth of sanitary products ages ago. 

"You will stay with me, then." The Doctor curled a golden strand around his finger as he stated the obvious. The hint of a question must have still seeped through with his words seeing that Rose rubbed her nose against his and smiled. "For as long as you want me here with you."

"Forever then," the Doctor agreed without a second thought and Rose's smile grew even brighter.

"Forever it is."

They shared a silent smile and a few more kisses before Rose's eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep in the Doctor's arms. And while he wasn't tired at all the Doctor still closed his eyes and breathed quietly while he listened to the sound that he had come to associate with happiness: The beating of three hearts. It was to that sweet melody that the Doctor fell asleep in Rose's arms for the first of many times.


End file.
